Egypt is advancing plans to connect its railway system to an Asia-Europe trade network, but a long-anticipated bridge to link Saudi Arabia with Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula has not yet been finalized, Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir said Sunday.
Speaking at an economic conference hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Cairo, Wazir said Egypt is expanding railways across seven major axes. These include three high-speed lines that will connect Sokhna Port on the Red Sea with Alexandria and the Mediterranean in the north, as well as Aswan in the south.
While Israel and Iraq are also investing billions in east-west rail links, all the projects require cargo to be loaded onto ships for part of the journey, he said.
“The planning for the bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia is complete and ready for implementation at any time, whether as a bridge or tunnel,” Wazir said. “For now, the Arab Bridge Maritime Co. is handling cargo between Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt with 13 vessels.”
The idea for the Egypt-Saudi bridge was first announced by Saudi King Salman during a 2016 visit to Cairo. The project is meant to support Saudi Arabia’s NEOM mega-city and business zone near the Straits of Tiran.
Meanwhile, Egypt has spent the last decade upgrading ports along the Mediterranean to handle increased rail cargo shipments.
Wazir also said the high-speed rail line to Egypt’s south will run near the edge of the desert pyramid area, providing service to the site without disrupting its historic landscape. In Abydos, where Egypt’s earliest pharaohs are buried, the proposed rail route has been shifted to a plateau to protect the ancient burial grounds.